Confidence
by kaligoddess
Summary: SubZero must deal with his wayward student as well as the threat Dragon King and threats from within the Lin Kuei.
1. prologue

Finding a replacement for Frost was proving a lot more difficult than Sub-Zero would have thought. While Kori powers were rare as far as such things go, he couldn't believe that he had located no one with the gift in the three weeks since his student had run off. Granted, his primary goal was really to bring his prize student back, but his "scouts" hadn't come up with anything worth mentioning.

"Not a single lead," he grumbled to himself. Currently he was sorting through page after page of notes his people had sent back. Those instances where a few individuals seemed to have the gift turned out to be a clever series of fakes. "Better to find the fakes out now," was what he kept telling himself, but he was getting severely frustrated. It wasn't just the search for a new student that was bothering him either. Just imagining the havoc Frost could be wreaking was giving him a headache.

Sighing loudly, he ran a hand through his rapidly graying hair and leaned back in his seat. Those closest to him jokingly swore that his protégé was the reason he had gone gray so early, and he secretly agreed. He remembered exactly the effects his own headstrong brother had on their sifu. Unfortunately, he also remembered how that same arrogant attitude likely caused the elder Sub-Zero's demise at the hand of a familiar ninja specter.

As mean as it sounded, his greatest hope was that the youngest ice ninja was simply hiding out, nursing her injured ego. It hadn't made sense for her to run off, after all, he was known for being incredibly lenient when the next generation of Lin Kuei fouled up. On the other hand, Frost hadn't been displaying the highest levels of maturity and perhaps running away was her only way of coping with failure.

In any case, he couldn't waste all his attention on the subject. There were more pressing matters at hand, not the least of which were a disturbing series of rumors about a planned attack by the Red Dragon, as well as the looming threat of the Dragon King...

_**Ridiculously Long and Perhaps Unnecessary Author's Note:**_

Hopefully this will keep future author's notes to a bare minimum.

**Point 1:** I've been heavily inspired by the movie/cartoon versions of the characters when it comes to characterization, causing me to have such abominations as Snarky!Raiden and WiseCracking!Jax. I try to keep the characters as close to what the games say, but occasionally I'll fill in the blanks myself (and not always correctly). If you've got facts from the games that would point to a different characterization, feel free to tell me what you think.

**Point 2:** For argument's sake I've decided that the game timeline and our timeline are roughly the same. A little over a decade has passed since the first Mortal Kombat, and I've pegged Subbie at being 36/37 partially because of his brothers age at his death. As far as I know, there's no information to provide a better clue at his actual age.

**Point 3:** This story will be updated on the WTHIFLI schedule. For those of you who don't speak "Belligerent" that reads, "Whenever the hell I feel like it". I'm not trying to be rude, but I've got a job and college courses to attend, and I won't always have time to work on the story. Sometimes there may be weeks or even a month or two between chapters. I'd rather update slowly than put up something I don't like. If you really like the story, just put me on your author alert list, and you'll know when I finally get around to updating.

**Point 4:** Visitors to the FF.net site are my beta readers. If you feel moved to review my story, please include something that you would like to see fixed/improved. Constructive criticism is greatly encouraged and I'm genuinely thankful when I get it. Don't worry, I don't bite.

**Point 5:** I know the story starts out very dialogue driven. I promise it will start to pick up.


	2. chapter 1

It wasn't a surprise that General Sonya Blade contacted Sub-Zero on behalf of her agency. After the loss of their portals (not to mention the loss or near loss of several of their agents) due to the manipulations of the Red Dragon, the Outworld Investigation Agency became very interested in the activities of the outlaw group. If anyone knew more about the Red Dragon than the OIA, it was the Lin Kuei. This time, however, it was the OIA passing on new information, and it was not good news. 

The general was visibly agitated, something even the slow relay of the videophone couldn't hide. "They're amassing power, Sub-Zero," she told the Lin Kuei master, "And its not a slow steady rise like they're trying to rebuild. They couldn't hope to keep this many people on their payroll for any length of time and make a profit. As far as we can tell, they're going to strike, and soon." 

"The fact their stockpiling weapons isn't exactly news, you know we've been tracking what's going into their headquarters," Sub-Zero replied. 

"Yes, but it looks like they're going to make their move now." 

"That's not the most useful information, if no one knows what they're planning to attack. Or was that a less than subtle hint that you'd like me to send out some more spies?" 

Sonya sighed loudly. "There isn't any time, we think they're headed your way." 

"Think?" It was Sub-Zero's turn to be agitated. The Lin Kuei would fight tooth and nail to defend their home, but many of the new recruits were not only very young, but barely trained. "Is this a guess, or do you have something to go on? How would they have found out our location?" 

There was a long silence. Finally Sonya took a deep breath and said, "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I'm assuming you aren't aware of it. One of our agents saw Frost in the Red Dragon's Hong Kong headquarters." 

Sub-Zero's body language was as unreadable as ever, but inside he was having what one American cartoon would have deemed "a cow". One of the Lin Kuei's greatest fears was having one of their own defect and leak information. Traditionally such a threat was resolved through an assassination, but that course of action hardly fit the new goals of the clan. _This is going to be one hell of a mess_, he thought to himself. 

"Are you positive it was her?" Sub-Zero interrupted Sonya's next sentence. 

"Absolutely, we had a live video feed. Jax, Cyrax, and I separately identified her, and the computer gave a ninety percent match. 

"What was she doing?" 

"We don't know, we only got a glimpse of her." 

"Damn," Sub-Zero swore quietly. He could feel a headache building behind his eyes. There was not telling what information his wayward student had told the Red Dragon. Even the little she did know could provide them with information for a direct assault. He closed his eyes for a moment. "I need to discuss this with the other masters." 

"I understand," Sonya nodded, though he couldn't see. "Contact me directly if you want our files on the Red Dragon." 

---

"I knew that girl was bad news when she showed up on our doorstep," Smoke hissed. "She's probably been working for Mavado from the beginning. 

"Don't you think they would have set someone with more experience?" Sub- Zero was pacing rapidly back and forth. Smoke was his closet friend, but right now he wanted to deck the cyborg. 

"No. She was exactly what you were looking for; young, smart, she had the kori powers, and she was in need of guidance. They knew you and your damn, soft heart." Smoke realized he had gone too far when he was interrupted by an outburst from the normally reserved ice-ninja. 

"If it weren't for my 'damn, soft heart' you and Cyrax would have been scrap metal, assuming Scorpion hadn't killed me in the second tournament," the Lin Kuei master had completely lost his cool. 

"Fair enough, but that doesn't mean you weren't wrong about someone this time." 

"I feel like I'm being manipulated again," Sub-Zero growled. "There's something wrong with this whole situation." 

"I've been saying that for month," Smoke mumbled. 

"What the hell am I going to tell the clan?" The ice ninja buried his face in his hands. No doubt there were many in the clan who were suspicious of his student's conspicuous absence.

The awkward silence that followed was finally broken by Smoke. "Tell them the truth. Tell them she tried to kill you and steal the medallion. Tell them she's run off and betrayed the clan." He shrugged," What else could you say?" 

They'll want to kill her," Sub-Zero said quietly. "There are too many who believe the changes I have made here have been for the worse." He stopped pacing and leaned on the windowsill, looking out. He wasn't pleased with the behavior of his student, but death wasn't the punishment he wanted to dole out for going against that clan. He'd been on the receiving end of a decree like that himself, and he hadn't considered it very fair then either.

"Those very same people will challenge you for the Medallion the moment they sense weakness," Smoke tried to reason with his friend. 

"You're right, of course," the headache was returning again, and his hands went to his temples. _There has to be another solution_, he reasoned. 

Smoke recognized the thoughtful look on his friend's face and remained silent. Both Lin Kuei knew just how precarious the perch at the head of the clan was, and when a grandmaster fell from grace, his associates often went with him. 

"I'll handle this mess myself," Sub-Zero smoke suddenly, startling his friend. 

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to be the messenger," replied the cyborg. 

"I'm going to talk to Sonya, the OIA seem eager to make a move," Sub- Zero was now speaking more to himself than to Smoke. "If we can slip the Red Dragon bad information, we can divide their front.." 

"The clan would never support a war," Smoke interrupted. The various factions within the clan were too divided to support much of anything, truth be told. 

"Who said anything about the clan?" he barely even glanced at Smoke as he resumed pacing. He was trained to go on solitary missions after all.

"And how are you going to explain your involvement?" Smoke was desperately searching for something to convince the grand master of how bad an idea he thought this was. 

"Sonya called in a favor; she asked for me personally," the ice-ninja was on a roll, and he knew it. "I can blame Frost's disappearance on her working with the OIA too." He smiled slightly to himself, _This may work out all right after all._

"You crazy bastard! You can't actually believe you're going to get away with this." 

"My brother took on five gods and came out on top; I think I can handle whatever the clan throws at me." 

Smoke stared at him in amazement for a few moments before asking. "If you don't live through this, can I have your porno collection? 

---

"You're going to what?" Sonya looked flabbergasted. "That's suicide." 

"I'd rather go by battle than by political maneuverings." Sonya looked confused, so Sub-Zero continued. "If the clan finds out Frost betrayed us, she's dead and my position is weakened. If the opposition within the clan thinks I had anything to do with this mess, they'll kill me too. I'm skating on very thin ice, no pun intended." 

"How on Earth are you going to explain taking a day trip to visit Frost at Mavado's house?" Sonya was still staring at him like he'd just told her he was madly in love with Jax. 

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. You called in a favor and asked me to do a little information gathering. If anyone asks where Frost is, she was working as a mole." This was the part of the plan most likely to fail. It was rare that students would be sent on such an important mission without their sifus to supervise.

"Won't they know Mavado saw you with Frost while we were dealing with the Deadly Alliance?" Sonya was looking for holes in his story, which Sub- Zero didn't mind. The best and brightest of the Lin Kuei would be doing the same thing. 

"They only know what I've told them." It was something he was immensely grateful for. But then Sonya said something that caught him completely off guard. 

"They don't know about Frost trying to steal the medallion then?" 

The words hung in the air for a few moments before Sub-Zero managed to process them. "How did you find out about that?" 

"Raiden told me, so we could keep an eye out for the little bitch." 

"Who else knows?" He was quite alarmed now. Not only was that 'classified information,' but it was embarrassing as well. "When did you find out?" 

"Whoa! It's not like I go around gossiping. Raiden told me two weeks ago. He said he was afraid she might do something stupid," Sonya went on the defensive. 

"Who else did Raiden tell?" 

"I don't know. Its not like he's prone to telling us all his entire plan at once." 

Sub-Zero tried another angle, "Who else did you tell?" 

"No one. What are you getting at?" 

"Too many lives are on the line here. Between me misjudging Frost and the Red Dragon, there are more than enough reasons for infighting in the clan. No one can know about any of this." 

"Isn't that what you ninja folks do best?" Sonya tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. 

"I'm more worried about leaks on your end. The Red Dragon must be spying on you too." 

"Look, if anyone leaks any info I'll kill them myself. You just have to do this quickly, before the Red Dragon knows we're on to them." 

---

Raiden was drinking tea in Sub-Zero's sitting room when the ninja awoke. "You really think you're going to live through a trip to Mavado's humble abode?" the thunder god asked with no preamble. 

"I certainly don't plan to die," was the vague answer. 

"What's going to happen to the clan if you don't return?" 

"I'm going to return." 

Raiden gave him a look that implied the opposite, but remained silent. 

"Look my brother took on all four guardians-" 

"Your brother is dead," Raiden said flatly. "It would be a shame to lose you to overconfidence too." 

"Fine, then what do you want me to do?" Sub-Zero was getting annoyed with everyone telling him that his plan was poorly thought out, without providing a better idea of their own.

"I'm not here to demand for you do anything," Raiden explained. "I just want you to think." 

"I'm done thinking about this!" Sub-Zero exploded. "I'm done thinking, because something needs to be done about this right now!" 

"Yes, but are you the one to do it?" 

"Who else is going to sort this out?" 

Raiden just stared at him with a knowing smile until the cold realization sunk in. 

"I think she's proven herself less than capable of dealing with clam matters," Sub-Zero said through clenched teeth. 

"I thought you were a big believer in second chances," Raiden said with an infuriating smirk. 

"Maybe I thought wrong." 

"I don't think you have a choice in this matter. If you leave, the clan will fall apart, whether or not you return in once piece." 

"I should never have tried to teach Frost," Sub-Zero sighed. 

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Obi-Wan," Raiden patted him on the back. 

"What did you just call me?" 

"Never mind, there are more important matters requiring your attention. Look!" Raiden pointed out the window and the rapidly darkening sky, "It has begun." 


	3. chapter 2

Frost sat listening to the echoes of her less than delicate flop onto the pallet long after the action had taken place. The steel walls of the tiny room made it into a rather spectacular echo chamber, and the lack of anything soft to absorb sound only enhanced the effect. The entire building was built that way, with cold metal walls and harsh florescent lights. 

"It's like a prison,' she noted upon her arrival. Perhaps its inhabitants liked the familiarity, as quite a few of them spent most of their lives behind bars. Except unlike most prisons, this building burrowed deep into the ground, rather than towering up. For the young ninja, it might as well have been a prison; even though she had entered of her own free will, it was made very clear to her that she would not be leaving anytime soon. 

She hadn't been surprised by Mavado's decision. It is a well-known concept that traitor and thieves make bad company, as one never knows when they will strike again. Having proved herself to be both a traitor and a thief, or at least an attempted thief, Frost was expecting to be closely watched. Still, the security camera was a bit much in her opinion, and currently it was keeping her from using the toilet in her cell, much to her annoyance. 

Mavado's interest in her remained a mystery. None of the information she was planning on using as leverage was any good, if his word was true. He had even claimed that her promise to tell him where the clan headquarters was no good, as he already knew the location. Unfortunately for Frost, Mavado was as unreadable as her sifu when he wanted to be, and she couldn't tell if he was lying during their first meeting. It didn't look like there would be another meeting either. She hadn't seen anyone who looked important since she'd been "escorted" to the lower levels of the building.

Frost felt invisible despite the camera. No one was paying her the slightest bit of attention, except for the occasional quick glance. And while she hadn't been locked inside her room, many doors became inexplicably locked when she wished to pass through. The only other indication that someone noticed her continued existence was the hushed voices the few people in the halls switched to when she was around. 

_They don't want information, they don't want my fighting skills, they don't want me to work, hell, they don't even want sex. What the fuck do they want?_ Frost thought irately. She'd been puzzling over this for the past few days and had come up with no reasonable conclusion. The only clue she had to go on was that the one person who had seemed interested in her had left in a body bag hours after merely staring at her, and she had no idea what to make of that. The only thing she was sure of was that she was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. 

--

Jax's nervous pacing was beginning to grate on Sub-Zero's nerves, though he wasn't sure why. It was probably because he was anxious himself, though he wouldn't let it show. 

The entire room was filled with restless individuals, some of whom he hadn't seen in years. He recognized the police officer and the Native American from Shao Kahn's last invasion of Earth, and there were several Edenians he vaguely remembered. _Their names will come when I'm less distracted,_ he reassured himself, although the blanks he was drawing were alarming him. 

The separate factions of Raiden's warriors were huddled in their own small groups, and the lin kuei master felt conspicuously alone. Smoke had stayed behind at the temple to keep order and organize what he could, as circumstances permitted. Sub-Zero trusted no one else enough to attend with him, not even his fellow masters. Once or twice he had caught some of his fellow Earth warriors watching him curiously, but thus far no one had mentioned Frost's absence. 

Rather than listen to a certain movie star's incessant chatter, he began counting the ceiling tiles to pass the time until Raiden arrived. 

--

There were one hundred and seventy six bolts holding Frost's room together. She had counted them many times since she had arrived. She had also counted the number of bolts in the hallway, the amount of metal tiles it took to make the floor, the exact count of steps it took to go from one end of the hallway to the other, and the number of doors. She would have counted the windows, but there weren't any. The counting habit she had picked up from her former sifu, thinking it was a way to familiarize oneself with the surroundings. Her current belief, however, was it was actually a bit of obsessive compulsiveness on his part. 

Her sifu was finding his way into her thoughts more often than she would have liked. At first it was just her fantasies of what she would say when they met again, whether or not she would deign to spare his life. Lately, much to her embarrassment, she had begun wondering if he was worried about her, if he was still looking for her. There was even a twinge of jealousy when she considered the possibility he had taken another student.

There had been quite a bit more time for thinking lately, as there was less and less activity in the part of the building where she was kept. In fact, upon further consideration, she was sure she hadn't seen anyone in the past few hours. Zero traffic in a building supposedly full of people was certainly an oddity. _Time to figure out what's going down,_ Frost thought, before heading out her door. 

--

Sub-Zero was actually beginning to worry when Raiden finally appeared with a flash of lightening. However, the look of apprehension on the thunder god's face did little to ease the tension in the air. The entire room fell silent. 

"The Earth is in grave danger once again," Raiden spoke quietly, but no one had to strain to hear him. "The Dragon Kin and his army are a greater threat than you have ever faced." 

"Just once I'd like to face a threat lesser than I have ever faced," quipped Johnny Cage, before a glare from Raiden silenced him. 

"The Dragon King's army cannot be stopped by bullets, bombs, or anything the Earth's armies may fight it with," Raiden continued. "You cannot kill that which is already dead." 

"But wouldn't destroying their bodies effectively keep them from attacking," the cop Sub-Zero now recognized as Stryker asked. 

"They would have to be burned to ash, or they would reform," Raiden answered gravely. "That much fire would have dire consequences of its own." 

"So how do we stop them?" Jax inquired sarcastically. "Do we just ask them politely to stop kill us?" 

"No, there is a simple solution, albeit it won't be the most easy to achieve. The army is made up of the bravest, strongest warrior souls, but few are willing subjects. You must break the hold the Dragon King has over them." 

"How exactly are we to manage that?" Cyrax asked with more than a tinge of cynicism. 

"I don't know yet. The most obvious way would be to destroy the Dragon King himself," Raiden said. "But that would require more warriors than we can spare. The invasion must no fully enter Earthrealm or we will be overwhelmed." 

"So all we have to do is stop an unstoppable army from completing an invasion that has already begun, while defeating a dragon king; all of which will require more power than we have," Sonya surmised in disgust. 

"Exactly. And the Red Dragon will be trying their hardest to sabotage your efforts. It also appears that Quan Chi has made an alliance with the Dragon King as well." 

So what have we got going for us?" Johnny asked. 

"The OIA will do our damndest to keep these bastards out," Sonya declared. 

"Edenia will spare nothing to defend Earthrealm," Princess Kitana spoke next. 

"The Lin Kuei are ready to defend out home," Sub-Zero answered, though he added to himself, 'If we don't fall apart first.' 

"Fujin and I shall fight at your side," Raiden said. "We must hurry. The undead do not rest, and they will not stop until the invasion is complete." 

--

The doors weren't locked anymore. There was nothing but empty rooms behind them. Frost had searched room after room, floor after floor, but as far as she could ascertain the building was completely empty. No people, no machines, not even a rat. 

"Her first panicky thought had been that there had been a bomb or some other cause for evacuation, and she had been forgotten in the rush to leave. The rational part of her mind, however, noted that there hadn't been an alarms or people rushing past, or even screaming. Surely an organization like the Red Dragon wouldn't have been that orderly. 

That didn't explain how several hundred people had slipped out from under her nose. Her training with the lin kuei may not have been complete, but she would have liked to think that something should have caught her attention. 'Only thing left to do is look for clues,' Frost thought before heading down the next hallway. 


	4. chapter 3

Author's Note: Lol, New chapter coming soon. I promise. This is just me reuploading everything with the fixed chapters and all.  


The lack of distinguishing features was frustrating Frost's search. The only reason she knew she had been in this particular room before was the small dent from when she had kicked the wall the last time around. The lack of any sort of identification on the doors completely confounded her. "How the fuck does anyone know where they are going?" she asked the wall, before giving the dent a twin sister. 

She poked her head out the door, but there was no indication that anyone had heard the bang echoing down the corridors. There was no movement, but the echo did give her an idea. Summoning the biggest ice rod she could, she swung at the wall with all her might.

The effect was quite impressive, but miserably ineffective at accomplishing her objective. No one came to investigate the noise.

Her ears were still ringing when she climbed the stairs to the next floor.

***

It felt like there was a large all percussion ensemble playing in Sub- Zero's head. To say the meeting with the masters of the Lin Kuei was going badly would be like saying Scorpion and Quan Chi were having a minor disagreement.

The five masters and himself were all gathered in a private chamber, arguing over their next move. Although the five masters represented the five elements, they were hardly working together in anything remotely resembling harmony and balance.

Two masters thought that the Lin Kuei should try to avoid the impending fighting at all costs, unless there was a direct threat to the ice temple, while two others thought it was best to wait until the Red Dragon had been dealt with before aiding Rayden. Try as he might, Sub-Zero could not convince them that the Dragon King was the biggest threat they had ever face. Smoke, not surprisingly, was behind his friend all the way, but he could help little to sway his peers' opinions.

The only argument Sub-Zero hadn't used yet was the venerable, "I'm the Grandmaster, damnit, do as I say." While that tactic often worked well in the short term, the long-term repercussions of pulling rank were quite unfortunate. No that there will be a long term if we don't do something, he thought morbidly.

"Why do you want to wait to get involve?" he asked again in as calm a voice as he could manage.  


"Surely we are not in much danger if Rayden has his shaolin monks and other warriors involved. We are in immediate danger from the Red Dragon if what the Outerworld Investigation Agency told you is true. Shouldn't we deal with them first?" Master Zhong spoke first. He was clad in formal yellow, and represented the Earth element.

"I don't think I've made it clear to you exactly the danger the Dragon King and his army present. You were not there to see how much the invasion worried Lord Rayden."

"Of course we were not there," Master Li, dressed in black and representing Water, broke in. "You did not invite us. In fact, I note, you did not take anyone with you."

It could not have been a more pointed comment if he had tied it to a spear and thrown it at the Grandmaster's head. "I had hoped there wouldn't be a debate on the course of action. And I hadn't realized the opinion of a Grandmaster would be brushed aside so easily," Sub-Zero tried to sound calm, as he hoped the conversation was not headed where he feared it was.

"Of course your opinion is taken into account. I was just concerned about your student; I haven't seen her in some time. She's not ill, is she?" Master Li spoke in an artificially concerned tone, which barely concealed the malice underneath.

Sub-Zero gritted his teeth. There was no doubt in his mind that Master Li was more aware of Frost's whereabouts than he should be. "She's on a special mission for the OIA," the grandmaster realized how transparent the lie was, even as he uttered it, "The General was quite impressed with her."

"You loaned her out to someone?" Li feigned surprise.

"General Blade asked for me, but I had more important matters to attend to," lying was never his strong point. He was going to have to switch tactics quickly, before he dug himself a hole he couldn't get out of.

Li was good at many things, leading people into traps was one of them. "More important than dealing with a possible threat from Outworld?"

A glance at the five masters told Sub-Zero that he was rapidly losing ground. He needed to end the discussion. "Yes, like dealing with masters who are directly questioning decisions that have nothing to do with them. The training of my student has nothing to do with the threat we must face." If Master Li wasn't going to play fair, then neither was he. "If you want to challenge me for control of the clan, then do it openly, and when there's not a crisis looming ahead. We will be joining Rayden on the battlefield tomorrow. In the meantime, I want anyone unable to fight ready to be removed from here and into a temporary headquarters, which I will designate immediately before we head out. That is my decision and you will either obey or I will deem you to be in open rebellion. Am I understood?"

While not all the responses were wholehearted, they were all positive, and that was the important thing. Still, he would have had to be blind to miss the murderous glare Master Li shot him as the masters filed out. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he completely forgot Smoke was there until the cyborg startled him by speaking. "There's going to be hell to pay when t his operation is over, you realize that, don't you? That wasn't the most diplomatic way to end the debate."

"There shouldn't have been a debate; this isn't a democracy, and I'm the Grandmaster,"; even as he said the words Sub-Zero shook his head, indicating the conversation should not continue in a "public" room, even one that was off limit to everyone but the masters. "You can give me your opinion later, right now we have people to contact."

***

After the sixth floor, Frost began marking the doors she passed with pillars of ice. They soon melted in the dry, recycled air, but even the resulting puddle was a better marker than nothing. And she was still getting a lot of nothing.

In Frost's opinion, the situation had gone from bad to perverse. Several hundred people did not just pack up and silently leave a building that echoed so badly you could fart on one floor and hear it on the next. Then again, there could have been nothing behind the locked doors the whole time; she hadn't done much when she first arrived but bitch about how they were treating her. But she couldn't have been so self absorbed that she was oblivious, could she?

The hallways were filled with Lin Kuei rushing this way and that, preparing for the headquarters move. The news had spread quickly, and the work was getting done in the silent, efficient way the Lin Kuei were known for. If all went, Sub-Zero hoped they would move out from under the nose of the Red Dragon.

He thought briefly of heading over to his private apartments, but no doubt they would have been bugged. He led the way into a room bustling with people packing boxes of weapons and equipment. "Something is definitely wrong here. Why are the masters so uncooperative, and why is Zhong suddenly so passive? The clan has never been afraid to take out a threat early before?"

Smoke's voice was so low Sub-Zero had to strain to hear him. "I have a feeling they'd disagree with anything you suggested. They're used to running the show rather than taking orders. The only reason they wanted you to fight the Deadly Alliance, no doubt, was they were hoping you and your new supporters would die."

They had entered one of the largest chambers in the complex. It was normally a practice hall for the youngest members of the clan, members by blood rather than through recruitment, but now t hose members sat silently listening as their teachers tried to explain what was going on. A few watched curiously as their Grandmaster strode past, but quickly turned their attention back to their sifus. "At least the little one's still obey me," Sub-Zero sighed.

"Most of the clan still obeys you," Smoke tried to reassure him. "They joined because they wanted to help. It's the old, rotten ones you need to worry about."

"Believe me, I'm worrying," Sub-Zero said as they arrived at their destinations. The "gardens" of the temple were filled with ice sculptures rather than plant, and it was so cold very few people spent much time there. A cyborg and an ice elemental had little to fear from the cold, and there was one other that Sub-Zero was counting on to brave the cold. "It's the silent ones that need to be watched. Li is just obnoxious and too visible for any covert action."

"That doesn't rule out the possibility of outright rebellion," Smoke said quietly, for the gardens were otherwise silent.

"If Master Li wants the medallion, he'll have to get it as tradition dictates he should; over my dead body."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Smoke said wryly. He paused, and then inclined his head slightly to the right, indicating he sensed movement.

Sub-Zero nodded almost imperceptibly and changed the subject. "What do you think of our temporary change of headquarters?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Do you think we'll be able to move everything in time?"

"Of course, and it will be easy to set everything back up in the old headquarters." Sub-Zero paused for a moment, straining his ears. He glanced at Smoke who shook his head. "Its also more heavily fortified than anything we have here."

Smoke nodded again, as his superior sense picked up movement. He could just make out a shadowy presence retreating quickly, ducking behind ice sculptures as it went. "I still don't understand why you let her stay here," he muttered once the figure was out of earshot.

"You know what they say, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' As long as I keep feeding her the wrong information, she'll be working for me." Unlike some of the other unfortunates who had taken refuge within the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero was sure the she-demon Sareena would never change her ways. Rayden had told him about what Sareena had done for his brother, but had also warned him about her connections with Quan Chi, and how badly she wanted revenge. Still, she was just one threat when compared to the more ominous events taking place, and the demise of Quan Chi would not be a horrible thing.

"You think she's working with someone within the clan?" Smoke asked.

"She's probably playing the entire clan off one another, but that's not my concern right now," Sub-Zero shrugged. "We must prepare for tomorrow."

Frost slumped dejectedly against the wall. Her stomach was growling, and it finally occurred to her that she hadn't eaten since before she had gone to sleep last. It was hard to tell exactly how long ago that was, because the lack of windows was fouling up her sense of day and night.

She had no idea how long she had been searching. All she knew was there was only one more fight of stairs left, and there had to be something up there. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Whatever she found on the first floor she wanted to be ready for.

  



	5. chapter 4

Frost awoke with a start. Her neck ached from sleeping. She slumped over in her chair, and instantly regretted the position she was in. Slowly bringing her legs off the table, she winced as the blood rushed back into them. 

She hadn't meant to fall asleep. Apparently sitting down to "meditate" when exhausted was a bad idea. Not that there had been much to meditate on. The first floor contained nothing except storage space and what seemed like a series of empty offices. It was in one of these offices that Frost had nodded off. 

Even though her angry muscles protested, she stretched and performed a familiar kata in preparation of what would most likely be hours of frustration. That is, if the past was any indication of things to come. Her immediate goal was getting open the large warehouse door she spotted earlier. She had seen no visible mechanism for opening it, and she had a feeling it would take a while if she ever found one. However, she swore she'd get it open if she had to chew her way through it. 

Cabin fever was beginning to set in, though Frost was more inclined to label it as severe frustration coupled with boredom. After staring at nothing but steel walls, she just wanted to get out by any means necessary. 

She searched every room on the floor, checking seems and bolts for secret doors, but to no avail. "With my luck, the damn trigger will be back on the lowest floor," she grumbled before venting her anger on the nearest door, wishing it were a member of the Red Dragon. 

She stalked down the corridors, half seething with anger and half ready to cry, until something very curious caught her attention. There was a faint sound of running water. Pressing her ear to the wall, she tried to find the source. 

The door to her left led to a restroom, but the sinks were off, and no toilet was filling. She held her breath and listened for the water again, and it seemed to be coming from behind the far wall. She felt the cold steel, searching for a hidden seam, but there was nothing to be found. 

Finally an idea occurred to her; she placed her hands on the cold metal, forcing it to become colder still: past freezing and heading rapidly towards absolute zero. When she was satisfied, a swift side-kick shattered the steel like glass, sending shards of razor sharp metal everywhere, much to Frost's dismay. 

Her quick reflexes allowed her to dodge most of the debris, but she had to pause for a few minutes to yank several pieces of steal from her legs. She was gingerly pulling a fairly large piece from her hip when she heard voices echoing from somewhere within the pipe-space she had cleared. 

The fluorescent lights of the restroom illuminated little of the pipe-space but it was clear that it was much wider than necessary, with enough space for a human to walk comfortably beside the water pipes. The pipes themselves seemed excessively large, even with the large amount of people normally occupying the building. 

Frost cautiously withdrew from the now broken wall, and hid herself behind the row of stalls. The voices were growing louder and clearer and the light of a flashlight was becoming visible. Judging by the footsteps there were four individuals approaching and the voices all sounded male. She took a deep breath and prepared for battle. 

---

Sub-Zero rushed through the stone corridors as fast as possible while still appearing dignified. Several novices had to throw themselves out of the way as their Grandmaster strode past, seemingly oblivious to whoever or whatever was in the way. He had been infuriated when Smoke had informed him that the four other masters were holding a secret meeting. The fact that the cyborg was not invited to attend only made the set-up more suspicious. Now he rushed to prevent trouble before it started. 

Smoke was waiting in front of the double doors of the meeting room he suspected the masters were in. The doors were of heavy wood, inlaid with mahogany and ivory in the shape of the symbol of the Lin Kuei, but with one blow, the cyborg reduced them to nothing more than tinder. The Grandmaster calmly stepped through the breach and seated himself at the head of the room. "Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?" he asked to the masters' astonishment. 

---

The first man to step from the darkness found a piece of flying steel suddenly embedded in the soft flesh of his neck. The flashlight he had been holding flew from his hand as his still bleeding corpse hit the ground. 

The second man, seeing his comrad's untimely demise, threw up his arms in time to block the deathblow of the flying steel. Still, the impromptu knife stuck deep in his beefy arm was enough of a distraction for Frost to charge out of her hiding place and deliver a roundhouse kick right to the side of his head. Still, he did not fall, and the other two men had now come through the opening. 

---

The masters recovered quickly, and most of them assumed a carefully composed façade of innocent surprise. 

"Grandmaster, we are pleased to see you were able to attend our meeting. We were afraid you had forgotten, since you were so late," Master Li said pleasantly. 

"Forgotten? It's hard to forget when you weren't told," Sub-Zero replied. "Who supposedly told me about this meeting?" 

"Master Li was in charge of informing you," Master Zhong said, with the air of a tattletale. 

"Aha. Well, I suppose there's no harm done, since I'm here," the Ice Master turned to Master Li. "However, I will assume that the next meeting I am 'accidentally' not informed of is an act of treason. Especially if Smoke is also somehow forgotten when you send out invitations." 

Two of the masters looked insulted. Sub-Zero made a mental note that they might not have been conspiring against him. Master Li wouldn't be against lying to them and telling them it was a legitimate gathering. Neither Master Won nor Shen seemed to have enough of a following to truly want an uprising, either. Still, Won looked nervous. 

"So what exactly did you call your fellow masters here to discuss?" Sub-Zero asked Li. 

Li stiffened at the insinuation carried by the question, but blandly said, "We decided to gather in order to discuss our upcoming move." 

"Interesting topic, considering you don't have a say in the decision. But don't worry, I'll make the decision soon." 

Master Zhong raised a gray eyebrow, "You haven't made a decision yet?" His eyes flashed to Master Li. 

"Of course not. Such things require much consideration," Sub-Zero said, trying his best not to smirk. Next to Zhong, Master Won was turning as red as his flame-embroidered robes and was practically shaking. He looked ready to explode. The Master of Wood, Shen, was glaring angrily at Li. "Besides I haven't told anyone, besides Smoke, which locations I'm considering." 

Master Won leapt to his feet, his normally handsome face twisted in rage. True to his element, he was the first to anger. "You lied to us," he growled, pointing an accusatory finger at Li. "You said the decision had been made." 

"I said nothing of the sort," Li answered haughtily, calmly coring his arms across his chest. 

"That's odd, I seem to remember you informing us that we would soon be seeing our old headquarters again," Zhong said while examining his intricately lacquered nails. "Do you recall the same, Shen?" he asked his green robed neighbor, who nodded. 

"Our old headquarters?" Sub-Zero pretended to think for a minute. "Well, I did tell that to Sareena, to get her to leave me alone." He was having trouble believing things were going as well as they were. It seemed the masters were more than ready to turn on one another. 

"You've been speaking with that she-devil!" Won spat. "What other services has she been offering you?" 

Li's eyes narrowed, and his hand flew to his side, where a long dagger resided in his belt. Luckily, Zhong spoke up before violence erupted. "You believed a demon? Surely you know better than that," he said silkily. 

"I never said I was talking to the little bitch," Li hissed. 

"Then where did you get your information from?" demanded Won. 

"Master Shen, actually," Li said with a sardonic smile. 

Shen shrunk back momentarily when all eyes turned to him. He shook his head almost violently. "I told you nothing. I was relying on you for information." He began to show signs of sweating, and not from Won's powers flaring up beside him. 

"Relying on him for information of what?" Sub-Zero broke in, sounding almost casual. He was gazing at them in an uninterested way, like they were a vaguely amusing television show. 

"It doesn't matter now," Shen mumbled, becoming very interested in the elemental designs carved into the floor. 

"So there was something then?" Li seemed more than happy to shift the attention to someone else. 

---

Frost landed two more hard kicks to her opponent's head before he went down. She hurriedly slit his neck with another improvised steel blade before turning to face her last two enemies. 

The second pair of goons was a bit smarter than their peers, and closed in on Frost before she could launch any projectiles their way. She sized them up quickly, both were about six feet tall, Caucasian, and almost sickeningly muscular. They didn't give off the appearance of being agile, but Frost knew from experience that appearances could be deceiving. She'd have to be careful with these two. 

---

"Shut up, Li!" Sub-Zero snapped, rising from his seat. 

"I don't think…" Li started, but Sub-Zero waved a dismissive hand at him. 

"Smoke, shut him up," he ordered, but the Water Master quietly sat down on his own. Sub-Zero advanced on the Master of Wood, drawing himself up to his full height. "I think it does matter now." He bent down until his face was inches from Shen's pale one. "What did you need the information for? And more importantly, who were you relaying the information to?" 

Shen seemed to collect himself for a moment, and managed to sound almost convincing when he said, "No one." 

"You're awfully scared of no one," Sub-Zero returned sarcastically. A glance at the other masters revealed that they were just as curious as he was. "They told you they'd kill you if you broke your agreement, didn't they?" Shen nodded almost imperceptivity. "Let's make a deal now; you tell me who you've been spying for, and maybe I won't kill you." 

"You wouldn't kill me," Shen said, calming slightly. 

"I wouldn't? And why wouldn't I?" 

"Because you wouldn't kill that treacherous little lap dog of yours when she tried to steal the medallion." 

Sub-Zero wasn't quite sure how it happened, but his right hand suddenly wrapped around Shen's throat, much to the other Master's dismay. "Hit a nerve did I?" Shen gasped, pulling at the offending grip. 

"No, you've merely given up too much information." He squeezed a little harder, causing Shen to gasp for air. "What else have you been telling Mavado?"

---

Frost was busy dodging a barrage of punches from the third goon. Luckily, she had more experience dealing with slippery footing, and he faltered when he stepped in a spreading puddle. She landed a solid kick to his chest as his arms flew out to the sides for balance, and she felt the impact reverberate up her leg. It was like kicking a brick wall. She snarled angrily and formed her kori daggers. Her opponent was momentarily surprised but charged anyway, bringing an arm up for a blow to her apparently unguarded stomach. Frost dodged neatly, but caught the backhanded elbow he swung next in the ear. She violently shook her head to rid herself of the sting, and barely ducked a roundhouse punch. Countering with a feint towards his face, she came down hard with her heel on his kneecap, sending him crashing down as his leg collapsed.

The goon was not out for the count though, and rolled away from a falling dagger strike, causing one of the kori daggers to shatter on its impact with the floor. Not even bothering to form another blade, Frost brought an elbow down on her opponent's kidney before he could push himself back to his feet. The second kori dagger found a home between his shoulder blades before he even hit the ground again. 

--- 

"Mavado?" Zhong asked sardonically. He smirked at the struggling Master and said in a mocking tone, "I knew you had no support within the clan, but I didn't think you'd be silly enough to outside the clan. Did you really think they wouldn't remove you from the equation once the Grandmaster was replaced?" 

"I wasn't working with Mavado," Shen gasped out. 

"Then where did you find out about Frost? I doubt Sareena knew anything about that," Sub-Zero shook his captive to regain his attention. 

"So she did run off then?" Li interjected. 

"I told you before she's on a mission." 

"She's on a mission to the Red Dragon?" 

"Your powers of deduction are phenomenal as always, but may we get back to the subject at hand?" He shook Shen again to emphasize his point. 

Shen was rapidly becoming irate. "I don't have to take this from you," he hissed. 

"No actually, you do," Sub-Zero growled back, his frown lines become more pronounced as he glared at the rebellious Master in front of him. "As Grandmaster, I have the right to pass judgment on anyone within the clan, including you." 

"Judgment? We should be passing judgment on you! You've done nothing but turn this clan into Raiden's errand boys," Shen spat. 

"And you would have had us be the servants of the Red Dragon," Zhong said from his seat. "I fail to see how your plan of action was any better." 

"At least we might have been paid," Shen said, wriggling in an attempt to face the Master of Earth. 

"We were paid for our services," Sub-Zero answered him, smiling at the Masters' surprise. "Or at least those who consented to Raiden's terms were rewarded. Money means little to him, after all, he is a god." 

"So you do have a bit of the mercenary spirit in you," Won said appreciatively. He had calmed down considerably, and his skin tone no longer matched the color of his robes. 

"I have no intention of making this clan a charity. That's what the White Lotus is for," he turned his attention back to Shen. "But you were too busy outsourcing to pay attention to what was happening here, weren't you?" 

"Well, what are you going to do, spank me and send me to my room?" smirked Shen. 

"No, You are a traitor to our clan, and you will be judged as such. In a public council. If you're lucky, you might have enough support to avoid being executed," Sub-Zero said grimly, tossing Shen to Smoke's iron grip. 

"And what of your treacherous student?" Shen said, trying to shake off the cyborg's hold. 

"Who said anything about treachery?" 

"She's also working with the Red Dragon," Li "helpfully" pointed out. 

"She is? I remember going over this before with you. In any case, we must first attend to the matter of our double dealing Master of Wood." Sub-Zero glared at the other Master's, daring them to bring up the subject again. 

--- 

The fourth man, realizing that going up against the intruder unarmed had proved fatal for his companions, yanked a large piece of heavy piping from underneath the sink, sending water spurting everywhere. Frost eyed him warily as he brandished the pipe like a baseball bat, and lazily swung it to test its weight. Unfortunately, he had made one major mistake which he didn't realize until the wet floor flash froze beneath him. 

Frost took advantage of her opponent's surprise to rush in before he could regain his balance. She had to duck a few wild swings of the pipe, but she made quick work of bloodying the grunt's face. Once he regained his footing however, she found herself weaving under a fierce series of homerun worthy swings. The blood dripping from split skin above her adversary's eyes was obscuring his vision, however, and he had to pause his attack to shake it away, giving the quicker ninja more than enough time for a counterstrike. 

A kick to the gut doubled the man over as the air rushed out of his lungs. A side-kick knocked the pipe from his now loose grip, as he struggled to draw breath. The third kick, an axe kick, found him meeting the frozen floor face first, and the grand finale was a heel drop to the spine, ending his struggles. 

After a moments pause to pick up the first goon's lost flashlight, Frost headed into the piping, leaving the four bodies for someone else to deal with. 

--- 

Sub-Zero would have skipped down the corridors, if he hadn't been trying to maintain what little dignity he had left. Instead, he settled for grinning like a lunatic as soon as he was out of sight of the other three masters. This left several passing ninjas to question if their Grandmaster had finally lost his mind, but their questioning stares were completely ignored by the rejoicing man. 

Master Shen was less than decorously being dragged to a holding cell by two of the Grandmaster's most loyal followers, while the three masters disappeared to destroy all evidence of themselves ever working with their disgraced brethren. This left Sub-Zero and his cyborg companion to deal with the aftermath of Shen's dealings with the Red Dragon. 

"What on earth are you so happy about?" Smoke asked. "We aren't out of danger yet." 

"But this has turned out so well. The Red Dragon are most likely heading the wrong directions, we found out who has been feeding them information; and it wasn't Frost, I might add, and I've shifted the attention somewhat away from my missing student," he was forced to relax his smile as his cheeks began to ache. 

"All the Red Dragon will do is realize they were given bad info, and go back to their HQ or worse: attack us here." 

"They won't have a headquarters." 

"You psycho! We aren't in any shape to assault their headquarters, whether or not they're home." 

Sub-Zero's grin returned in full force. "You're right, we don't, but Sonya and her boys are already on their way. I think we can spare them a little help, don't you?" 

They stopped then in front of the engraved doors to the ceremonial hall, behind which there was Sub-Zero's "office". In reality, it resembled more of a guidance counselor's office than a luxurious suite for a Grandmaster, but that was why he had chosen the space. It was simple, comfortable, and nothing like the former Grandmasters' private meeting rooms. 

Smoke regarded his friend for a long moment and Sub-Zero could only guess at what expression was behind the mask. Finally Smoke threw up his hands in an expression of defeat, and announced, "You must be the luckiest mother-fucker on the planet." 

"What do you mean 'lucky'? This was all the result of my superior planning abilities," Sub-Zero said as he happily pushed open the doors and stepped through." 

"Planning abilities? You have the same strategic abilities as your brother, and as I recall, he pretty much started an inter-deity was as well as a war between clans at the same damn time, Smoke said as he entered the hall. 

There was a moment's delay, then Sub-Zero turned to face his friend. "One, Quan Chi started both those wars, not my brother. And two, as has been readily pointed out to me, I am not my brother." 

"True. He probably would have been the one making the deal with the Red Dragon." The cyborg stopped. "Speaking of your brother and his dealings with unsavory types, what are you going to do about Sareena?" 

"Nothing. She's been quite helpful so far. And since the mood of the clan seems quite apathetic towards the Dragon King and his allies, I doubt she'll be able to drum up any support for an attack on Quan Chi." He turned towards a nearby pillar and directly addressed it. "Or have you something grander planned?" 

The shadow of the pillar seemed to move as Sareena stepped out from behind it, making quite a show of revealing \herself. "I've no plans made yet," she smiled toothily, though the two ninjas saw it more as a baring of her teeth. "I'll have to be more careful next time," she added demurely. "I hadn't realized that Shen was working with the Red Dragon." 

"Because you're so opposed to working with cold blooded killers," Sub-Zero commented sarcastically. 

"Because they are working with Quan Chi," she snarled back. 

Sub-Zero tried hard not to look surprised. "Who isn't working for Quan Chi?" he said dismissively. 

Sareena's predatorial smile returned. "I could find out…" she said almost nonchalantly. 

"And you're just the trustworthy type of person I want to send out on a mission," Sub-Zero turned to walk away. 

"I didn't say anything about your little whore," Sareena was turning away herself, but glanced over her shoulder at the ninjas when Sub-Zero spoke. 

"Which little 'whore' might you be referring to?" 

"Oh, have you got a harem going now?" the she-demon cocked an eyebrow. Without waiting for a response she added, "The one sitting in a cell in the Red Dragon's headquarters. Mavado seems to be less trusting than you are." 

"Is telling me this supposed to make up for you leaking information?" 

"No, but hopefully it will distract you." 

"At least you're honest about it." The grandmaster thought for a moment, then said "Go find out whom Quan Chi is allying himself with now and I might not kick you out of the temple."

"That's reassuring," she said. She regarded him curiously for a moment, as if deciding whether or not his offer was in earnest. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she slunk back into the shadows.

"Do you think she'll actually do what you asked?" Smoke asked. 

"If she thinks it will eventually hurt the sorcerer, I have a feeling she'd do just about anything," his friend replied. He stood staring at the Lin Kuei's emblem inlaid in the floor. "If I weren't worried for the safety of the temple, I'd be more than willing to do anything to take him out." 

"Instead you're going to settle for taking out his allies," Smoke observed. 

"Indeed. But instead of standing around talking about this, I need to do something about it. And right now that involves passing on some information to a certain female general." 

---

  
Author's Notes

Wow, that took me forever to post. The sad part is this isn't really all of chapter 5. I just cut off here because it would have ended up being a 10,000 word chapter.

My excuse for the late posting is that I was getting my site up! Visit www.rated-mk.net if you're so inclined. We are accepting fan fiction and fan art!

And, just for reference, I'm going to post the past reviews (from when the story was originally posted) at the end of the next chapter. Not that you care. 


	6. chapter 5

Back in his "office", Sub-Zero waited impatiently as he was patched through to Sonya Blade. He had carefully searched the rooms for bugs and Smoke was running a scan for signals constantly, but that didn't mean that the danger of someone tapping the communication wasn't ever present. The longer the line was open, the easier it was to trace it. 

A quick glance out the window revealed that it was still snowing heavily. Likely it would slow down the Red Dragon if they were crazy enough to attack after figuring out they had been on a wild goose chase. Still, he wanted to know if Sonya had any indication that they were heading back to their own base first. 

The General looked quite harried when her face finally appeared on the screen. She was wearing a full camouflage uniform and a headset. "I don't suppose you have any clue as to what the Red Dragon is up to?" she asked without preamble. 

"I was hoping you could tell us the same," Sub-Zero answered truthfully. He watched for a moment as a small explosion erupted behind Sonya. She was positioned in front of a large warehouse of some sort. 

"We don't know what the hell is going on anymore. As far as we can tell the Red Dragon has completely disappeared. There were no guards left behind here." 

"What do you mean?" a wave of panic swept through Sub-Zero. 

"I mean there wasn't anyone here! It doesn't make any sense." Sonya turned away for a moment as a group of armored soldiers rushed past in formation. "We've breached the building, but none of the scout teams have found anything." 

"Keep your troops on the lookout outside the building. "Even if the Red Dragon isn't there, they may be heading back to you. We believe that they might have followed a false lead to our old HQ. They might return to regroup." 

"So it's a waiting game them." Another formation of soldiers ran past. "I hate waiting." Suddenly her hand flew to her earpiece, and she was listening intently with a thoughtful look on her face. She grinned. "One of our squads say that they've found something," she relayed. "A restroom with three fresh bodies, one paralyzed goon and a whole lot of bloody ice water. I think we've found the trail of your girl. Either that, or the Kool-Aid man was here." 

"The who?" 

"Nevermind. If it makes you feel better," Sonya said, still smiling, "All four men appear to be members of the Red Dragon, and it looks like she found a secret passageway. 

Sub-Zero's eyes narrowed. "What on earth is she up to?" he grumbled. 

"We're following the passage right now. I'll let you know if we find anything." 

Sub-Zero nodded and ended the transmission, silently pondering his options. 

***

The pipespace seemed specifically built to annoy anyone attempting to traverse it. At least that is what Frost concluded after smashing her shin into yet another low cross pipe. She winced inwardly as the sound echoed, but so far she had seen no signs of anyone hearing her occasional misstep. 

There were no signs of any exit from the pipespace either, and she had been walking for quite some time. Clearly the four men she had dispatched earlier must have gotten in somehow, but they must have already been within the area to be able to investigate so quickly. Frost's opinion was that they must have been patrolling, which implied that someone hadn't wanted people to discover the passage and that the pipespace probably led to something worth guarding. That alone was the carrot dangling in front of her, but it was enough to keep her going. The light from the flashlight she had lifted from one of the bodies earlier did little to illuminate the deep blackness of the length of the space, and the ambient sounds of water in pipes and drips did little to lighten Frost's mood. 

As if on cue, the light from her flashlight began to wane, making navigating the obstacle laden space even more difficult. She swore quietly as her forehead discovered a low cross pipe. The pipe had been burning hot too, leaving her with split, blistering skin and an aching skull. 

Several things occurred to her as she was glaring angrily at the offending length of metal. One was that this was the second hot pipe she had come across. Two, was that it was the largest cross pipe she had found, and it was on the ceiling. Three was that the only other hot cross pipe she knew of was leading to the bathroom she had entered from. Finally, she was sick of this damp, dark tunnel anyway. 

Finding a clear place to break the wall, however, proved a bit more difficult than in the restroom. She feared breaking the pipes, because a pipe spewing anything in such a small area was not likely to be a good thing. There was little room for a powerful kick either. The best she could do was a two foot space surrounds by only a few large pipes. Even then she had a few false starts before she connected and heard the satisfying sound of shattering metal and what sounded like tile. 

She cautiously poked her head through the opening and was greeted by the site of a very wet, very naked and very surprised man standing in the middle of what appeared to be a communal shower. Or at least that's the immediate conclusion she came to, seeing as wet, naked men don't normally wander around criminal organizations. 

Unfortunately for Frost and her musings, the man in question recovered from his surprise and started running for the door without bothering to cover himself. He was not faster than Frost though, and her blast of ice froze him solid a few inches from the open door. Working quickly, Frost dragged the still immobile gangster back into a more concealed part of the room, then shut the door, locked it, and froze the locking mechanism. By now the man was beginning to thaw, but Frost was more than ready as the man clumsily tried to break away. 

She roughly pushed the disoriented fellow against the cold, tile wall, and he stared her wide-eyed as she slowly formed a kori dagger in front of his face. 

"Who the f-fuck are you?" he stuttered, watching nervously as the blade was waved in front of his face. 

Frost ignored his question and fixed him with her icy stare. "Where are we?" she asked, still fingering her dagger. 

"In the showers," the man answered slowly, attempting to wiggle out of what he assumed was a raving lunatics grasp. 

"Where are we?" Frost asked again, becoming more irate as the seconds passed before his answer. 

"In the Red Dragon's headquarters?" the man's voice was rising every time he spoke. 

"You know that's not the answer I'm looking for," Frost hissed. "Tell me what I want to know, and you might live." 

"I'm not authorized to give out any information, on pain of death." 

"Do you know what men value more than their lives?" Frost asked, with a dangerous drop in her voice. The man was just staring dumbly at her now, and she sighed. "Their dicks, shithead, and if you don't tell me where the hell we are, who you are, and what is going on here, I'm going to rip yours off and shove it so far up your ass that you will taste it. 

The man eyes seemed to bug out, and he blurted out, "We're in the manufacturing plant!" 

"What are you manufacturing?" Frost asked, slamming the man back into the tile for emphasis. 

"I don't know! They won't tell us," the answers were coming more readily now, although they weren't particularly useful. 

"Who's they, you useless piece of-" she was interrupted by someone banding on the door. Once she was effectively distracted, the man desperately tried to shake her grip. Not able, nor willing, to deal with both problems at once, she slit his neck and turned to the door. 

The ice sealing the door was rapidly cracking under the battering it was taking. "Hey, open up!" came a female voice on the other side, which caught Frost off guard. After a moment's deliberation, she decided to come out and catcher her opponent off guard. A good shove broke the seal and the door swung open. 

"What the hell have you been-" the woman's sentence was cut off by a sucker punch to her mask-covered nose. She cried out, clutching her now bleeding face, but had enough presence of mind to duck the next blow. 

Frost swung again, but her now fully aware opponent was faster and danced back to drop into a fighting stance. Both women sized each other up quickly. 

The other woman was dressed almost completely in leather, and Frost momentarily wished for her Lin Kuei uniform, a feeling that intensified when two sais were pulled from the woman's high-heeled boots. 

The two opponents circled each other warily, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Frost's impatience got the better of her, and she launched into an ice slide with the intent to sweep her opponent off her feet. The other woman seemed prepared, however, and sidestepped, bringing her sais down for a raking strike. Frost was nor ready for a counterattack, but fell away from the blow. Her shirt was not as lucky as the rest of her, shredding on the sharp metal. 

Frost glared as the other woman laughed and brandished her sais. "What's the matter girl; am I to quick for you?" she taunted. 

Frost was furious, but now knew better than to just charge in. She was going to make this bitch come to her. A kori dagger formed in each of her hands, and her opponents face registered surprise for moment. "You're not quick bitch, just lucky." She sent a blast of kori power along the ground, then charged in after it. The woman jumped the freezing trail, but Frost was ready and buried her daggers in the woman's thighs, sending blood spurting everywhere. 

The leather-clad woman let out a shriek like a banshee and seemingly went berserk, slashing furiously at Frost, despite her rapidly flagging strength. Frost had neither the time nor the concentration to reform her weapons as she desperately tried to dodge the relentless barrage of strikes. She was nearly successful until a wild downswing hit her above the brow, catching in her skin, and she desperately threw her head back, trying to avoid losing her eye as the said continued down into her cheek. 

The woman was rapidly failing as the loss of blood overwhelmed her, which Frost was extremely grateful for. The searing pain of her torn face was almost as distracting as the blood pouring down her face. She tried futily to clear her eyes but her hands were already slippery from the blood from the other women's still spurting wounds. 

In a moment it was over, and her opponent lay twitching feebly, face down on the floor in spreading pool of blood. Quickly checking to see if any one was coming to investigate the commotion, Frost took the already blood stained remains of her shirt and did her best to staunch the flow from her own wound before dragging the corpse into the showers, leaving behind a gory trail. 

She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror while stashing the two bodies in the pipespace, and had a momentary twinge of embarrassment at the image she presented. There was a moment where she debated cleaning some of the gore off herself, but she quickly settled for washing the worst of it off her hands and face, and stealing a shirt which she presumed had once belonged to the naked fellow, although it seemed much too small for her, let alone a full frown man. Pulling the shirt over her head (and grimacing as her hands brushed her matted hair) she set about trying to cover as much of her exposed torso as possible. 

There was still the matter of the large mess in the hallway, but she hastily chose to continue on her way. She was anxious to get down to business and find out what exactly the Red Dragon had been making. 

***

Several minutes of slinking down more steel hallways, and trying to resist the urge to scratch her head wound, found Frost in front of a bolted door. It had one major difference from the other similar doors she had passed, and that was the fact it was not welded shut. 

She pressed her ear to the door, listening carefully for signs that the space behind was occupied. Satisfied that no one awaited her, she undid the heavy bolt, and pushed the surprisingly heavy door open. The room was dimly lit, with nearly a full wall of what appeared to be security monitors and a desk covered with electronic equipment in front. 

The door swung back into place with a sharp clang, and Frost winced slightly at the noise. Upon closer inspection, the monitors all showered views of various manufacturing equipment, none of which she recognized. She tried the computer on the desk, but it was password protected. The computer did provide one small piece of information, however. As she raised her head, she caught the reflection of the blinking red light of the wall mounted security camera behind her. 

She was being watched. 


	7. chapter 6

***  
  
A Teaser Chapter 6  
  
***  
  
A momentary wave of panic swept over Frost as she stared at the reflection of the camera. She quickly formed a layer of her namesake on the lens, but she knew there was an excellent chance that someone would have been monitoring the surveillance system. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it quickly.  
  
***  
  
Sonya couldn't believe her luck. Not only had Sub-Zero's little runaway done most of the work in finding the hidden areas, but by sheer dumb luck the communications crew had discovered the security center. They were now in the process of attempting to hack into it.  
  
A soldier snapping to attention in front of her makeshift desk interrupted her musings. She nodded, and waited for him to deliver his message. "Ma'am, Agent Cyrax has requested your presence. We've recovered another body, and Agent Cyrax said you would want to see it," the soldier reported swiftly.  
  
There was a sick lurch in her stomach as she wondered who was so important. It wasn't likely that the cyborg had told the Private the identity, so all she could do was allow the soldier to lead the way.  
  
She was surprised when she was led into the Red Dragon's complex, which meant that the body had only been found minutes before. They stopped next to a knot of soldiers examining the body of a naked man. The copious quantities of blood down his neck and chest indicated that his throat had been slit, but it was his nakedness that puzzled the General.  
  
Cyrax entered with two members of zeta squad, who were carrying a woman on a stretched. Sonya choked down the cry of surprise that almost escaped and her sense of professionalism took over. She looked to Cyrax, but he was as unreadable as always. Her throat was dry as she asked, "Kitana?"  
  
The cyborg shook his head, "Mileena."  
  
Sonya breathed a small sigh of relief, and then asked, "How can you tell?" In response, Cyrax pulled back the mask, and Sonya grimace. "That's ... disturbing. But what is... was she doing here?"  
  
Cyrax regarded her for moment. "It looks like this is bigger than just the Red Dragon."  
  
"Where did you find her?" Sonya asked.  
  
"In a passageway. She was dragged there after her death. Or at least that's what we assumed from the trail of blood leading from a large puddle in another hallway," reported the cyborg.  
  
"Not exactly subtle, is she?"  
  
"Mileena?"  
  
"Frost. This is her work. I thought ninjas were supposed to be traceless," Sonya said sarcastically.  
  
"The Lin Kuei are not ninjas," Cyrax returned.  
  
Sonya gave him a dirty look, but remained silent, pondering what the Outworld assassin was doing in the Red Dragon's headquarters.  
  
*****  
  
Her own footsteps sounded overly loud to Frost. She was trying desperately to resist the sense of panic slowly building in her gut. No matter how hard she searched, she could find no unlocked door, nor could she find her way back to the restroom she had come in through.  
  
Her previous injuries were protesting her rapid pace, and she was almost certain that the gash in her leg was bleeding again. She needed to find someplace to rest and recuperate, but fate seemed indifferent to her needs. Trying to slow her breathing, she dropped into a much slower walking speed.  
  
She heard a soft clanking sound in the distance.  
  
Frost stopped in her tracks and held her breath, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was regular, despite the fact it was echoing down the corridor. Whatever it was, it was getting louder, and Frost didn't want to be there if it was coming towards her.  
  
She hobbled as fast as she could down the hallways, making a sharp right, then a left, not particularly caring where she was going so long as she kept moving. When the pain grew too great to continue, she pressed herself against the cold wall and listened.  
  
The noise was still there, though slightly quieter. She stood still, trying to clam her ragged breathing, while ignoring her aching leg and head. The clanking was getting louder again. It seemed to be following her, but she couldn't' imagine what trail it was following.  
  
She pressed herself closer to the wall, taking comfort in the cool steel on her flushed skin, and waited. Her heart seemed to be beating to the same rhythm of the sound following her, and it was only then that she realized she was truly afraid.  
  
***  
  
Sonya followed the member of the communication squad as she strode down the hallway. The Private had searched her out while she was still speaking with Cyrax. The young Private was smiling, obviously pleased with her teams work and rightfully so. Hacking into the surveillance system was a brilliant display of skill, and an invaluable amount of help to the rest of the operation.  
  
"What have you got for me?" Sonya asked as she entered the makeshift intelligence center. The squad turned and saluted her, but she waved at them to go back to work. "Formalities later, I need info now."  
  
"There's not much to see, General," Lieutenant Evans told her, "There must be fiver thousand cameras here, and we hadn't even been able to access most of the ones in the secondary building. The ones we have access to only show our own agents." To emphasize her point, she flipped a switch, and her screen displayed Cyrax and two agent standing guard over the two recovered bodies.  
  
"Camera 2094 accessed," a Private called out from the other end of the room, and Evans switched to the new view: an empty hallway.  
  
"Its very tedious work, but hopefully something will turn up soon," Evans said, brushing some loose hair out of her eyes. Then movement on the screen drew her attention. "That's not one of our men," she said as a figure in red exited the view.  
  
"Where is that camera?" Sonya demanded, flipping on her mouthpiece.  
  
"We don't know ma'am, somewhere on the east side of the building," Evans responded.  
  
"I want all available units to search the east side, now!" Sonya ordered over her headset. "Cyrax, I want you to start another scan for life forms."  
  
***  
  
Frost was getting increasingly frantic. She had decided to continue to flee down the hallway, trying the doors as she went, but she was having no more luck than before. She was almost completely certain that whatever was following her was rapidly catching up, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.  
  
She kicked a door in frustration with her good leg, not caring if the sound carried, and slumped to the floor. Briefly, she pondered what was chasing her but quickly realized that would do her no good. She tried to think of alternate escape plans, but was not successful in that endeavor either. Breaking another hole in the wall would do nothing but leave an obvious trail to follow, and she doubted that she had the strength to do it. A glance at the ceiling led her to consider the possibility of an air duct, but she didn't know how to obtain access.  
  
The noise was getting ominously loud, and she tried to keep her breathing steady and quietly. Slowly, she climbed to her feet, steadying herself on the wall, and did her best to get into her fighting stance. All she could do was wait.  
  
Her breath caught in her throat as her pursuer turned the corner to face her. She would have sworn it was her former sifu's second in command, if it weren't for the gleaming, blood red face and body armor. Of all the things she had imagined chasing her, she had to admit this was not one of them.  
  
*** 


	8. Interlude

Author's Notes: This is a sort of standalone ficlet set after Sub-Zero gives Sareena her orders. Its completely out of order, but I didn't feel like going back and wedging this in somewhere.

I rolled my eyes as I walked away from Sub-Zero and the cyber. I don't care what people are doing for me; I don't take orders from anyone. At least not from beings weaker than myself.  
  
They were watching me, though they were both pretending to ignore me. If you want to survive in the Netherealm, you learn to see through things, especially the facades the mortals put up. Once you see through a mortal, you can tell how to best manipulate them.  
  
Some mortals "wear their hearts on their sleeves" as the saying goes, but some are a bit more intriguing. The cyborg, Smoke, obviously wants to be human again. Knowing that does me no good though; it's beyond my powers to provide.  
  
The Grandmaster, however, wants what I can provide. More importantly, he has something I want in return.  
  
Mortal men have a complex I've found. Its so common it even has a name: the virgin/whore complex. They want their women to be pure, innocent and generally virginal, but secretly they all want a whore in their beds.  
  
It's easy to see which one I am.  
  
But that's what makes me so intriguing to the Grandmaster.  
  
The little harlot who tried to steal the amulet succeeded in stealing something else instead, which makes my goal so much easier to obtain. He desperately wants to believe in redemption, and how could I be so cruel as to not help him believe?  
  
I don't want what Frost has already; I want what she couldn't get. That's not to say I won't have to turn Sub-Zero's attention to myself. I've done far worse before.  
  
The first step, of course, is to ruin the sifu's confidence in his student. I think I know just how to do it...


	9. chapter 7

Author's Notes: Good Lord, I actually updated. Imagine that. I've been busy working on my website I hope to polish this story off before Deception comes out though.

----

"I've found something!" announced a Private, running up to Evans. "Camera 2708, ma'am." The Private hastily tacked on a salute at the end of her announcement.

"Excellent," Evans pushed a few buttons on her display, and Sonya gasped in surprise.

"Where is that? Still on the east side?" Sonya demanded, anxious to help out her agents.

"Yes, east side," Evans nodded. "Ma'am?" The Lieutenant was a bit alarmed at the savage look on the Generals face, but Sonya was busy barking out orders over her trusty headset.

"Red alert! I repeat, red alert!" Sonya waited until she heard the acknowledgements of her agents. "There is a red cyber in the building. This is not a friendly cyber. Also, one female ninja, presumably friendly. All available units to the east side of the building immediately. Remain alert!"

There was a crackled of static, and then Cyrax's voice came over the air on a private channel. "Ma'am, if the cyber is of Lin Kuei design, it could be Sektor."

"Sektor?"

"Yes, one of the three of us sent to kill Sub-Zero. He may be following his original orders."

"Whatever his orders are, he's beating the shit out of Frost. As much as I'd like to see her pounded into the ground, I think Sub-Zero would prefer it if we returned her in one piece."

---

Frost was so worn down she was barely able to make an effort to block her cyber opponent's blows. 'I have to get out of here,' she thought dumbly, as another kick caught her in the stomach, knocking her back into the wall. There was no time to react before she felt a steel grip on her throat constricting. Instinct made her grasp futily at the chocking fingers, but they weren't budging. Time was rapidly running out as the edges of her vision were starting to darken.

There was a dull thudding in the distance, but it could have just been the blood pounding in her ears.

---

Jax led a squad of agents down hallway after hallway, following the dim clanking. Sonya had relayed Cyrax's warning to him, but he was hardly concerned. He had, after all, seen all that Cyrax could do.

The sounds were getting louder, and he thought he heard someone gasping for air and a dull thunk. He had barely turned the next corner when he heard the source or the commotion. Frost was being held aloft by the throat as she clawed feebly at the hand that held her. Judging by the alarming shad of blue shade was turning; the grip wasn't a loose one.

But before Jax had a chance to react, the scarlet armored cyborg snapped his head around. As soon as Jax saw those soulless eyes, he knew that this cyber was nothing like Cyrax.

All parties sized each other up silently for a moment. A few heartbeats later, the cyber made the first move, and tossed the now non-struggling Frost away like she weighed nothing, and she landed in a heap a few yards away. None of the agents had enough time to bring their weapons to the ready when the cyber's chest plate opened. No one knew exactly what was going to happen, but hey all knew it wasn't good.

"Get down!" Jax yelled as a missile fell into place in the cyborg's chest. He barely hit the ground himself when the cyber fired and the hallway was enveloped in a wave of fire and smoke. His steel plated arms protected his head and neck from the searing heat, but he doubted the rest of the squad fared as well.

The smoke was getting thicker, and Jax wondered what in the steel hall could burn, but then came the overwhelming and unmistakable smell of burning flesh. Coughing uncontrollably, he groped behind him, and was reward with a hand gripping his own. He tried to bark out an order, but it felt as if his throat was burning. Instead, he pulled the agent he was hanging on to forward and away from the fir, praying the survivors would follow suit.

The cyber, it seemed, had not stayed to finish them off, but there was no relief to be found, except for that which Jax found in unconsciousness.

---

Sonya could feel herself shaking though she fought to remain clam. The order had already gone out to put out the fire in the hallway, but she knew it was likely to late for the agents. Her mind was racing so quickly that is felt like the whole world was spinning, so she dropped heavily into the nearest empty seat.

Cyrax was saying something to her over the radio, but she didn't have the heart to answer. Jax had been her comrade in arms for more than a decade, and she just couldn't fathom him being gone. The best she could possibly hope for was severe injuries.

"Ma'am?" Evans was shaking her, and Sonya looked up to see the concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine," she answered, but she could hear the quivering in her own voice. "I'm fine," she said again, more to convince herself than the Private. "What's our status?" she said into her headset.

Cyrax's voice came over the air again. "The fire is out, ma'am. The medical team has also arrived, and they are assessing the situation. No information on survivors at this time."

"And the cyber?"

"Gone. It appears Frost disappeared with him."

"Not voluntarily, I presume."

"That doesn't seem likely, but we can't tell for sure yet."

"Keep me informed," sighing heavily, Sonya pulled off her headset and tossed it on the nearest desk. She knew all eyes in the room were on her, and for her agents' sakes she had to suck it up. "Tell me when something comes up," she ordered Evans. "I'll be back in the command post."

Steadying herself on the chair, she carefully stood up and faced the best rest of the Intelligence Squad. "Good work people," she praised them, trying but failing to fake a smile.

Nodding to no one in particular, she spun on one heel and fled the room.

---

Smoke's body language foretold of the bad news before Sub-Zero even spoke to the Special Forces. The Grandmaster was contemplating whether or not to truly move the headquarters when his friend rushed out in to the ice sculpture garden to collect him

"Sonya needs to talk to you. Now," the sense of urgency was evident even in the cyber's robotic tone.

"What happened?" Sub-Zero asked, rushing to catch up.

"She wouldn't say," Smoke spoke over his shoulder. "She's really shaken up."

"Oh." Sub-Zero picked up the pace. He didn't know what would cause Sonya to be upset, but knowing her normal attitude, it couldn't' be good. He followed Smoke into his office where the communication equipment was already up and running, and Sonya's harried face was visible on the video screen. One look at her expression and he felt his stomach drop.

"What happened?" he asked, and braced himself for an answer he doubted he wanted to hear.

"We...ran into another cyber," Sonya said. She looked like she was going to continue, but her eyes started to tear.

"Sektor," Smoke said quietly.

"That's what Cyrax thought. We didn't see him ourselves firsthand," Sonya confirmed.

"Did anyone?" Sub-Zero asked.

Sonya swallowed audibly. "Anyone who saw him firsthand is either dead or critically injured." There was a few moments paused as the general visibly stiffened. "He took out twenty agents in less than thirty seconds."

"That's not everything."

"No, its not. Jax was leading the team that found the cyber."

Sub-Zero shook his head in disbelief. Jax was a valuable ally to more than just the Lin Kuei. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

"It gets worse," Sonya appeared to struggle for words. "We lost Frost."

"You lost her?"

"We're still sorting through the carnage left in the hallway, but nothing seems to belong to her. She just vanished."

"She was never that good at stealth..."

"We think the cyber took her. She was in pretty bad shape when we spotted her. It seems she had a run in with a few Red Dragon members, not to mention Mileena."

"Mileena," Sub-Zero hadn't heard anything about the mutant in years. "I thought she was dad."

"She is now, looks like she bled to death. But Frost was fighting with the cyber when our agents confronted him. Well, actually she was being strangled."

"This is just getting better and better," Smoke said wryly.

Sonya nodded her agreement, but then said, "I don't have anything else to report, I believe."

"I think that's a good thing in this case," sighed Sub-Zero. "Thank you for telling me." Sonya nodded again and terminated the connection from her end, at which point Sub-Zero's head came to rest on his desk with a dull thud. "How can this possibly get worse? No wait, forget I said that." He turned to look at Smoke. "Do you really think its Sektor?"

"Who else could it be?"

"But what would the Tekunin want with Frost?"

"Sektor probably wants to get to you. I don't think he's lost his original programming. Besides, if they automate her, she'll be a major help to them."

Sub-Zero looked doubtful. "I doubt they'll let them automate her."

"I don't think she'll get a chance." Smoke looked down at his own armored torso, "No one should have to go through automation," he added quietly.

The Grand Master was staring out into the snow outside his window. A snowflake fell onto the glass; he watched it melt before replying. "The Lin Kuei were successful because all of our warriors were unique. What good would a mass produced clan do? And who would volunteer to be automated? The clan can't be as big as rumor says."

"What if they're not volunteers?" Smoke voiced the idea floating in the back of his friend's mind.

The thought of any of the Lin Kuei being forced into automation was enough to make Sub-Zero shudder. "We need to get her out of there, fast."

"We don't know where she is!" protested Smoke.

"I'm willing to bet she's been taken to the Tekunin's main plane," Sub-Zero rose from his seat, and reached for the power switch of the videophone.

"We don't know where that is!" Smoke shook his head as the Grandmaster placed a call to the White Lotus Society.

"Someone else might," Sub-Zero didn't turn from the video screen. "The White Lotus found what they thought was an ammunitions plant. They retreated after spotting what they reported were several figures in red armor.

"That doesn't strike me as enough information to go on," the cyber remained unconvinced.

"The plant in question was located in one of the clan's old satellite headquarters."

"Oh."

"As soon as I confirm the information, I'll prepare to leaver. You'll stay here and supervise the defense preparations."

Smoke sighed, "Why do I have to baby-sit?"

"Because I don't trust the other masters." Sub-zero turned to her friend and added, "There's no sense in us both going on a near suicide mission. The clan would fall apart if we both died."

The videophone beeped, indicating it connected and an Asian face appeared on the screen, interrupting the discussion. Smoke took the opportunity to slip out and make some plans for himself.


	10. chapter 8

The bonds weren't responding to her Fa Jing, despite the fact they appeared to be made out of some sort of metal. Frost suspected that they had been specially made for her, or her sifu. They did feel a little warn on her skin, so perhaps they were heated internally.

It had seemed like hours since she had woken up, bruised, battered, and in a finally indignity, strapped down. The room was oddly quiet, the only noise being a quite whirring from a machine that seemed to be keeping track of her vital signs. She couldn't be sure though, because the restraint around her neck prevented her from looking anywhere but straight ahead.

There were more restraints at her wrists, knees, and ankles, although curiously there were none on her torso. Despite the unusual arrangement, however, there was almost no room for her to move, and wriggling her middle did nothing but make the restraint around her neck cut alarmingly into her throat.

Instead of struggling futily against her bonds, she began to take stock of the situation. The itch of her forehead was gone, and the blood was mostly gone from her body, which was a positive sign. Most people didn't patch up those they planned to kill. She was still dressed in the outfit she was wearing when she was captured, though, which contrasted oddly with the sterile nature of the room. From what she could see, the walls appeared to be made of brushed metal, although there seemed to be pieces of metal littered around. All in all, it looked like a cross between an operating room and a mad scientist's lab.

She sighed heavily and tugged against the wrist restraints. They didn't even rattle.

---

Elsewhere, another Red Dragon member died suddenly, strangled silently with a small cord. His companion didn't even have time to react before a cold dagger sunk into his skull behind his ear.

Sub-Zero slunk down the corridor again, carefully avoiding the copious security cameras.

----

The door opened slowly, and Frost tried to crane her neck to see who was entering. Unfortunately, the angle of the slab she was strapped to prevented her from seeing anything until they were nearly next to her.

The figure before her wasn't very impressive, either physically or aesthetically. He was so greasy looking that at first she thought she had been packed off to the Black Dragon, but the Red Dragon tattoo covering half his face said otherwise.

He sniggered slightly as he approached, leering at her all the while, in a way that made her stomach turn. "Aren't you a pretty one?" he said in a voice as greasy as his hair. It's a shame they're gonna automate you." His gaze dropped to her chest appraisingly. "A body like yours shouldn't go to waste." Frost shuddered at the undertone of his appraisal.

"I'd take automation over a piece of shit like you," she hissed, with the look of someone staring at the mess a dog made on the floor.

"Ah, spunk. You won't have much of that-"the sentence was cut off as a font of blood spewed out of his mouth. The hooks buried in his back returned to their owner, and Mavado strode into the room, carefully avoiding the spreading pool of blood as his victim fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry about that, with all this expansion going on, we didn't have time to choose the best candidates," he said nonchalantly.

Another figure appeared, and Frost recognized him immediately as her abductor. Mavado turned to the cyber, "Here she is, just like you asked. Sorry about the bruising, but your man wasn't too gentle when subduing her."

Frost was confused. Hadn't he been the one who attacked her. Then two more cybers entered, both identical to the first, and her breath caught in her throat. This is what they meant by automation. Her muscles tensed involuntarily against her restraints as a wave of panic swept over her.

"You will be compensated as per our agreement," the first cyber announced in an emotionless voice. "We will contact you again for further acquisitions."

Mavado half nodded, half bowed, and exited, leaving her alone with the cybers and she found herself fervently wishing he had stayed. She knew that there were people underneath the armor, but their was a completely lack of humanity that was frightening. The seemingly head cyber regarded her through his expressionless mask. "You will make an excellent addition to the Tekunin," he stated flatly, before turning to his companion. Begin the automation," he ordered simply and left.

"You can't do this!" Frost shouted, pulling on her restraints in earnest.

"That is a false statement. Automation will commence," one of the two cybers announced. One went to the Frost's right side, while the other began assembling the pieces of armor she saw earlier.

A panel in the chest of the cyber next to her slowly opened, and her removed a full syringe from it. Seeing the medical equipment produced another wave of fear, and Frost used the one part of her body that wasn't restrained. She started screaming.

---

A female Red Dragon member now bled her life out on the floor, an icy blade still embedded in her back. Her body was dragged to an empty room and hidden there, and her shirt was used to mop up the trail.

Sub-Zero crept deeper and deeper in the Dragon's den.

---

The cybers seemed completely oblivious to her frantic cries for help. They had merely informed her that the walls were sound proof, and prepared her for automation. She had stopped shrieking long enough to freeze the liquid in the syringe they were attempting to inject her with, effectively stalling the operation for the moment. There was a small pause as the cybers processed the new development before one announce," Sedation unnecessary, continue with automation."

Desperate to escape, Frost added thrashing as well as she could to her hysterical shrieks. She could barely hear the heart monitor signal t he sudden increase in heart rate over herself. The cyber announcing that sedation was now necessary was heard, however, and she increased her efforts as the cybers decided their course of action.

Finally, the one who had been sorting equipment left the room, presumably to obtain some form of sedation, leaving her with only one being to glare furiously at. She felt wetness on her cheeks, and she knew that she was crying with fear, and there was nothing she could do, because there was no one to hear her screaming except uncaring ears.

The cybers must have had all compassion programmed out of them, because it is a rare man who is not affected by an injured, shaking, crying young woman screaming in fear. Pitiful as she looked and felt, Frost knew that she wasn't going to be able to count on any reaction from the cybers. Her only chance to avoid automation was an actual physical escape from the area.

---

Sub-Zero's blood froze when he heard the plaintive screaming. It only lasted a second before being cut off, but it made his stomach sink nonetheless. It was obviously the cry of a terrified person, and only a woman could reach that ear-shattering octave.

He had no idea where it had come from. The straight corridors produced a disorienting echo, making it seem as if it were coming from all directions at once.

Unfortunately, the noise had attracted the attention of several of the buildings occupants. While he was obviously not the source of the disturbance, he held their attention just the same.

The woman in red reaching for the radio hanging around her waist was the first to die, beheaded with one swipe of his kori blade. The two blond men, who looked enough alike to be brothers, were next, although they put up more of a fight before being disemboweled.

He heard the footsteps behind him well before they reached him. However, his surprise was so great that his opponent managed to get a swing in before he recovered enough to block. Sektor's return was known to the Lin Kuei, but the appearance of on of the red armored Tekunin was disturbing.

They had improved upon the original design too, he noted, as the blow pushed him back a step. The Tekunin pressed the attack relentlessly, and Sub-Zero was forced back again and again until his back hit the cold wall at the end of the corridor. Pushing back against the wall, he performed a Cold Shoulder, but the cyber barely moved. It did provide and opening though, and he took the opportunity to slash at the delicate circuitry in the neck. The cyber blocked, but this blade skittered off of the slick metal of the scarlet armor and sliced off the cyber's index finger at the unarmored joint, leaving him oozing oil.

Sub-Zero ducked the counter attack, and tried to sweep the cyber off its feet, but the cyber leaped over him, and kicking him in the small of his unguarded back. The Grandmaster grunted in pain and rolled away to avoid the next blow.

The cyber was more of a threat than he expected.

He caught the cybers next kick and brought his elbow down hard on the knee joint and the straining of the circuitry was audible. The Tekunin broke free finally but it was clearly favoring the damaged leg. It retaliated with a flurry of punches, but it couldn't put its full force behind them, and Sub-Zero easily blocked and returned with an elbow strike of his own to the cyber's visor, leaving a crack. He followed it with a downward kick to the already injured limb and the cyber collapsed heavily with a loud crash. A quick spinning kick snapped its neck and the blinking panels went dead.

Heavy clanking footsteps made Sub-Zero spin around, and two more identical cybers turned the corner and came into view. There was no time to think about how many more he would have to face before the two new opponents charged in tandem.

---

Utter hysteria was just around the corner for Frost. The second cyber finally returned with a vial of viscous, bright red goo. She prepared to lock her jaw against any possibility of an oral sedative, but then she spied the cotton swabs and iodine lying on the same surgical tray

She tried to squirm away as the first cyber took a cotton swab and began preparing a section of her stomach with the iodine. The orange liquid felt like ice water and she realized she was whimpering. Satisfied that the area was sterile, the cyber reached for the vial, but did not prepare a syringe like Frost had expected. Another cotton swab was dipped in the red gel-like substance, and Frost realized it was going to be applied topically, and there was nothing she could do.

The ointment was fire compared to the iodine, and it felt like it was burning into her belly as she writhed on the slab. The sedative began to take effect almost immediately, but she didn't feel sleepy so much as apathetic as the room started to become blurred.

Then everything went black.


	11. chapter 9

The darkness was overwhelming, but something was wrong to Frost's sedative dulled mind. She saw vague, blinking lights in front of her, and finally it dawned on her; her lights hadn't gone out, the building's had.

As her mind struggled with that concept, she began struggling with the bonds again. Whatever had been heating the bonds had gone out with the lights, and she tried dumbly to focus on freezing them. It took a minute or two to concentrate enough to collect her Fa Jing, but finally she got them brittle enough to snap like cheap plastic.

The cybers seemed surprised when she rose, but the blinking lights weren't fast enough to stop her projectile, nor could they catch the piece of armor she flung before it shattered the frozen steel of the door, and Frost stumbled out into the hallway just as the power returned.

---

Sub-Zero was preparing to put his foot through the chest of one of the cybers when the lights shut off. The blow connected, but the power wasn't behind it, and the cyber's chest was merely crushed.

The second cyber swung at him, but the lighted arm panels were a dead giveaway of its intention. He pushed it away, before freezing it. The lights retuned just in time to make the shards of shattered cyber glisten impressively as they flew through the air.

Unfortunately, the return of light was accompanied by an aural assault as what seemed like every alarm in the building went off at once. Not surprisingly, four more cybers appeared responding to the alarms. The surprise came when eight more appeared behind him, effectively catching him in a pincer attack.

Unlike action films, real ninjas don't dance around menacingly as they attack one by one, and Sub-Zero braced himself as they all came at him at once.

Being outnumbered wasn't so much a problem as the fact Sub-Zero was in such close quarters. Luckily, the small width of the hallway was an encumbrance to the Tekunin as well, and they couldn't all take advantage of their numbers. Still, he was having difficulties guarding his back while the cybers attack from his front and flanks.

He had been forced to abandon his kori blade in favor of two shorter blades, as its length was inhibiting his movement. But he soon had to give up on them also, as the cyber's armor was too strong for the ice to damage, and he didn't have the luxury of time for aiming blows solely at their unarmored joints.

There was little time for anything but defense really, and he would have retreated in favor of better conditions if both directions hadn't been blocked. He couldn't defeat any of the cybers because as soon as one cyber went down, another attacked before he could land the finishing blow. It was beyond frustrating, and he was tiring quickly.

He feinted left and quickly did a kori slide to the right, but the cyber there was ready for him. What the Tekunin wasn't prepared for was the ice that had formed beneath its feet, and Sub-Zero took advantage of its unsteadiness to knock it over and slide down the hallway on it, like cybernetic surfboard. The rest of the Tekunin followed of course, but he was far enough ahead of them that he had already kicked in a door and headed in before they caught up with him.

The new area appeared to be willed with Tekunin, but a moment later it was revealed that none of the new units were moving, nor were the tell tale panels lit. Still, the half darkened room was creepy and lit only dimly by a few ceiling panels, making the standing suits of armor cast long shadows. There wasn't time to examine it further before the live Tekunin came pouring in behind him, adding to the scarlet confusion in the room. He spun to face them as they charged, glad to only have to defend in one direction.

The Tekunin were more wary now, no doubt keeping an eye on the floor. That didn't make them any less of a threat though, and he was driven back farther and farther into the room. It was getting harder and harder to tell the difference between attackers and empty armor as his field of vision became clouded in red. He was also sure that there were more live Tekunin and a glance at the door confirmed that.

A kick to the kidneys alerted him to the fact that the enemy had surrounded him once again. He mule kicked back, but only succeeded in knocking over an empty suit. Another cyber caught him in the face with a punch, and between the searing pain and the salty blood dripping down his face and lips, he knew his nose was broken. He reared back fro the punch and knocked over another empty suit with a loud clatter.

The Tekunin closed in, but he took a wild swipe with a newly formed kori blade and gained some space. He froze the floor again around him, making the slippery ice several inches thick. He was going to need every advantage he could get.

---

Frost took off down the hallway as fast as he could go, stumbling over herself as she went. She had no idea where the hell she was going; she just knew she wanted to be away from the slab.

The whole hallway seemed to be waving like a fun house ride, and she was reduced to feeling down the wall like an invalid, not trusting her visions. Curiously, her two captors didn't follow her, and she wondered what was occupying them.

---

Another Tekunin lost their head, spewing oil everywhere, and making the ground even more treacherous to those not used to fighting on ice.

The crowd had rapidly started thinning once they couldn't close in enough to double team Sub-Zero. His reach with the kori blade was greater and now that he could take his time he was literally cutting them to pieces, coating the room in black oil.

Still, he was tired, muscles aching from being held tense, joints feeling rigid. The Dragon Amulet gave him power all right, and he was feeling the absence heavily now. No matter how much it would have helped in battle, he hadn't wanted risk it falling in to the wrong hands. Now he wasn't so sure if his decision to leave it with Smoke was the best one.

He nearly slipped in the oil himself as the next cyber tried to attack his back. The cyber couldn't control his momentum, however, and slid over th4e slick floor and bowled over two of his comrades and they landed in a heap. Counting the three on the floor, there were only ten left, a thought that felt like a breath of fresh air. A few quick downward stabs sent the three downed Tekunin to the scrap heap, leaving only seven.

Each downed cyber brought a fresh sense of relief as their numbers dwindled. He was still tired, but it felt like a second wind coming. Victory was at hand, and all the fighters could sense it, though the Tekunin were programmed to either achieve their goal or die trying: of which the latter seemed most likely.

Killing the last Tekunin felt good, as much as Sub-Zero hated admitting it. He felt more than a little savage, knee deep in bodies and covered in the "blood" of his enemies. Still, the thrill of victory brought an almost feral grin to his face as he made to wade through the mess on the floor.

He was almost to the door before a lone cyber entered, the light from the doorway making it appear as a mere silhouette. Despite the automation, the footsteps spoke of arrogance and pride, and Sub-Zero knew at once who it was. Only two people he had ever met carried themselves like that, and only his brother had the skills to go with the walk.

There would be no mercy or forgiveness this time, he resolved. Only death.

Sektor's stance had always been cocky, even after being cybernetically enhanced, and now it was almost mockingly loose. Sub-Zero growled deep in his throat and motioned for Sektor to come to him, something he knew would enrage the Tekunin grandmaster. He made not move to drop back in to the Dragon stance and merely stood with his arms crossed, waiting for Sektor to react. The stakes may have been high, but he was confident he could beat the cyber again.

Sektor wasn't taking the bait though, and simply stood between his opponent and the exit, knowing full well Sub-Zero wanted most to escape and rescue his student. The smirk was almost evident in his voice as he said, "It is good to see you again, Grandmaster," he added an extra bit of sarcasm to the last word. "Tell me, to what do I owe the honor of your business?"

"You know why I'm here Sektor," Sub-Zero replied calmly, still holding his relaxed stance. "So tell me where my student is, and I might not blow this place to hell."

"Your student? Oh yes, she arrived this morning," Sektor said. "She should be joining us any minute now. I know we shall enjoy her company; the Red Dragon seemed to enjoy her immensely." He paused and let the double entendres sink in.

"Oh, I don't know about hat, she can be quite a lot to handle," Sub-Zero decided to play the word games too. He smiled and said," You don't think she's too frigid to work well with your team?" He slowly started advancing on Sektor. "I know I don't play well with others," he added before throwing a kori dagger that hit the doorway just above Sektor's head.

"You missed," Sektor said simply, but then he saw the frozen fist aiming for his visor. Sub-Zero had taken advantage of his distraction to close them distance between them and was now pressing the attack. His kori blade was out already, and Sektor knew the Lin Kuei was not holding anything back. This suited Sektor just fine.

Sektor drew his own pulse blade to ward off any further attacks with the ice weapon, but was not prepared for the series of kicks Sub-Zero sent his way, and caught a back kick to the stomach, knocking him off balance. Sub-Zero continued his attack, never letting the cyber collect himself to retaliate.

Sektor finally managed a low kick to the knee that caught Sub-Zero unaware, and the Grandmaster hissed in frustration. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible and rescue Frost before anything else happened. The cyber tried to trip him up again, but he slid back and sent a kori blast at his opponent. Sektor neatly sidestepped it, but Sub-Zero had already begun another Cold Shoulder behind it, and the cyber was knocked off his feet. He raised his blade to begin the decapitating blow, but grunted as the searing pain hit his stomach.

He looked down to see his blood sizzle on the pulse blade jammed through his torso. He gasped as it burnt into his flesh and sank to his knees.

---

Frost staggered into the room drawn by the sound of ice on metal. Her bleary eyes took in the metal carnage before her, before she caught the movement and watched in horror as her sifu was impaled on a glowing blade and dropped wide-eyed to the floor.

She didn't know what she was doing, but her kori dagger had found the delicate circuitry in the back of Sektor's neck and she brutally tore into him, ripping the wiring to shreds. He fell, now truly lifeless, to the ground, and she stumbled to Sub-Zero and sank down beside him.

He was still conscious, watching her with a mixture of pity and concern that made her chest ache even as it make her cheeks burn. She choked back tears and cradled his head, careful to avoid disturbing his wound. He licked his lips and slowly said, "Frost, get out of here."

"I can't," she whispered as the world started spinning again. "I can't."

"Frost," he began again, with more effort.

"I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes. "I'm so fucking sorry." She opened her eyes again and the tears spilled out, "I'm sorry," she sobbed, laying her head on his, ignoring the blood and oil.

"I'm sorry," she repeated like a mantra between heaving sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

Then the last thing she heard before it all overwhelmed her was the last voice she's ever thought she'd be glad to here.


	12. chapter 10

Sub-Zero awoke suddenly when someone touched his arm. He instinctively grabbed the offending digits, and a high-pitched squeak of alarm pierced his clouded brain. He opened his eyes just a crack to allow them to adjust and let go of the nurse he had startled.

The nurse was an attractive blonde woman, and was quite flushed from being surprised. Judging by her features, she was of European ancestry, leading him to wonder where on Earth he was. The room was plain, but most medical facilities aren't overly concerned décor. He did note, however, that he was in a single occupancy room, and there was someone in a military uniform posted outside his door.

Still flustered, the nurse pushed the call button beside the monitoring equipment on the wall. She turned her attention to him and said, "I was just coming in to check your temperature."

He smiled when he saw the type of thermometer she was carrying and replied, "Not with that you're not," with mock indignance, but his mouth felt like cotton and it came out more as a garbled mess.

"I've called the doctor, she should be here soon. You just lie still and I'll get you some water," she said before scurrying out.

His eye having fully adjusted to the light, he began to take full stock of the situation. Aside form the usual medical equipment, the room also contained a small side table, which had a get-well card on it, a television, and what he suspected was a video camera.

He seemed to be in pretty good shape, although the dull ache in his abdomen indicated he wasn't fully healed. There was an IV and device in her left hand, but he couldn't quite read what the bag of fluid said from his vantage point. The skin beneath the tape on his face was itching, which told him that his nose was still healing but when he felt it there was no cast. How long had he been unconscious?

Realizing that the doctor was not about to appear instantaneously, he set about counting the ceiling tiles to pass the time.

---

Sonya set about her paperwork with an uncharacteristic smile. She had just gotten back from a visit with Jax, who was looking better everyday. His scars would remain, but other than that he was expected to fully recover and return to his post within six months.

The paperwork was also a bit better that the morning drudgery that normally appeared on Monday mornings. The paper in front of her was a report commending Lieutenant Evans and the intelligence team for their work in the takeover of the Red Dragon headquarters and the destruction of the Tekunin. The young officer would go far in the OIA if she continued with such work.

Next on the list was a briefing on the Tekunin mission, which she looked forward to writing with a sort of vindictive pleasure. Thanks to the unintended diversion caused by Sub-Zero and his student, the advance team had gotten in almost completely unnoticed, and jacked into the security controls, almost immediately, leading to a smooth attack. More importantly, Sektor was dead and all the Tekunin seemed to be accounted for.

So it was with a friendly face she greeted the messenger who knocked on her door. "Enter!"

"Ma'am," the agent saluted, and the smile on his handsome face told her that he was the bearer of good news. "Dr. Davis has sent up a message the Lin Kuei has woken up."

She smiled and replied, "Its about damn time."

----

Frost received the message that Sub-Zero would be returning to the Ice Temple within the hour with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. While she was glad to hear that her sifu was well again, she dreaded what he might have to say to her.

She found herself wondering what proper protocol for a situation like this was; should she greet him when he first arrived, wait for him to call her to his office, go ahead and commit hara kiri? Her nervous energy was getting to be too much and she started wandering the hallways aimlessly.

She had no particular destination in mind, so when she found herself in one of the practice areas she decided it was as good as any other place to be. Walking to the center of the room, she got her first stance and began the Yuan Yang kata. The moves flowed smoothly enough, but her heart- mind just wasn't in it.

The last pose was just finished when she heard a voice from the doorway. "Very good, but your kicks are still off balance."

She turned to face her sifu as he came carefully down the steps and stiffly walked towards her. The injuries he had sustained were barely noticeable, Frost noted, although the plaster strip on his nose and loose shirt indicated he was still not fully healed.

He was watching her curiously, and suddenly she felt irrationally shy. There was not a single thing she could think to say as she dropped her gaze to the floor timidly. Finally, she felt a cold hand lifting her chin, and looked into her sifu's eyes. His other hand gingerly traced the scar forming from the scar wound running down her eye.

"Its not a badge of hone, you know," he said wryly.

She smiled nervously. "How did you get yours?" She asked, glad to take the attention off of herself.

"It was given to me when I betrayed the clan and refused to be automated," he sighed. "You have no idea how lucky you are for escaping."

"I know," she replied quietly. "I already got that lecture from Smoke."

"I'm sure you'll hear it several times, from everyone. We all had to go through a lot to save your ass," he shook his head.

"You're not mad, are you?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm absolutely furious! You nearly got me killed, in case you didn't notice."

"... I guess I'll go pack my things then," she said meekly, and turned to go.

"Oh no, you aren't going to get off that easily," he smiled slightly when she blanched. "You are going to be scrubbing the toilets until your arm falls off."

Frost looked up hopefully, "You aren't going to kick me out/"

"No. No I'm not," he said with a sight. "Contrary to popular belief, I was once young and know what its like to do very stupid things. That doesn't mean I'm not going to make you sincerely regret the past few weeks, though."

Frost's face fell, but she tried to be optimistic. "That's good...I guess."

"Of course. Now go find me a cup of tea and tell Smoke to meet me in my office," he ordered, and headed back to business as usual.

---

Fin

---

Author's Notes: I found it quite amusing that everyone was begging for Frost not to die, when Midway offed her themselves. bastards In reality, Frost was never intended to die in this story; it was Sub-Zero who wasn't going to make it out of the Tekunin headquarters.

About the ending: I left a lot of loose ends still floating about in the hopes that I will be inspired to write a sequel. Or set another story in the time period of this one.


End file.
